Sci-fi Visuals Tell Of A Dystopian Outlook For Us All

Sci-fi leaning post punk outfit Nrvs release their I Like You EP which they describe as an episodic adventure into a dystopian future and I wouldn’t necessarily disagree. With stunning visuals that vary from kitsch B-Movie imagery through to trippy psychedelic animations, the EP is a curious mix of flavours.

Chunky beats and a distorted bass line kick off the EP on title track I Like You, which brings with it a mix of textures & influences like 90s Chemical Brothers in the beat and Ohio’s often stylised new wavers Devo in the straight faced vocal delivery. Referencing the sort of over simplistic, one dimensional exchanges found on social media with the lyric “I like you, do you like me”, there’s an astronaut making contact with a fungal alien life-form in the video that has a retro look visually while the music keeps the overall experience a contemporary one.

Keeping with the space theme on second track Breeders, the astronaut is now found floating in space with references to the TV screens seen in the first track’s video. The music however is a totally different beast and could have easily been found on the Floyd’s ’Saucer Full of Secrets’ album. With an acid rock feel, the track slowly unfolds and the tension grows as Nrvs cast doubt on the future of the human race, expounding the idea that future generations are no longer required and humanity has lost its reason to exist!

Next up ‘Scum’, with its stylised animations, sees Nrvs at their most accessible. Channelling their inner Blur, the music works well and the vocals are the best on the EP. Touching on the less palatable side of the human condition, the message is clearly “we’re all in this together & we’d better get used to it”. This track in particular gives an inkling as to the full potential of what this band could do.

And to close, The Sane, with its post industrial ‘Orwellian’ visuals, leaves more questions than answers in my mind. It has a more electro sound to the production that further expands the band’s sound palette and is a welcome addition to what seems like a short EP (could have done with another track in my opinion). There’s a twist at the end of the video too that further leaves you wondering what it’s all about.

So who are are Nrvs?… by their own admission they’re involved in Extinction Rebellion’s pink boat escapade which explains the dystopian element that weaves its way through most of the lyrics. The cynicism in their outlook on what’s to come does concern me when surely hope is always in there somewhere as a part of being human. I’d be interested to hear what they do next but as a taster, this EP seems to be saying something different to many of the other socially aware artists out there, which to my mind is a good thing.

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